State of Mississippi could receive millions from nationwide opioid settlement

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – On Thursday, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced a $720 million nationwide settlement with eight drug makers who manufactured opioid pills, worsening the nationwide opioid crisis.

The Magnolia State has the potential to receive up to $6,351,265 in total from this settlement.

“The opioid epidemic has claimed far too many lives in Mississippi, leaving behind lasting pain,” Fitch said. “But together, we can confront the damage already done and work to prevent more senseless deaths. This settlement marks an important step forward, holding those involved in the opioid crisis accountable and helping us begin the healing process for our families and communities.”

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office was the first state in the country to file suit again opioid manufacturers for their role in the epidemic.

The Attorney General has, since then, successfully negotiated settlement agreements with upwards of a dozen opioid manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retails pharmacies, and marketers of opioids.

The Opioid Settlement Fund, created by the Legislature in 2024, is where all of these settlement payments have been deposited.

Fitch chairs the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council, ensuring that these settlement funds are being allocated and spent in accordance with the terms put in-place by their respective settlement agreements.

The eight defendants and the total amount they will each pay as their part of the deal are:

• Mylan (now part of Viatris): $284,447,916 paid over nine years
• Hikma: $95,818,293 paid over one to four years
• Amneal: $71,751,010 paid over 10 years
• Apotex: $63,682,369 paid in a single year
• Indivior: $38,022,450 paid over four years
• Sun: $30,992,087 paid over one to four years
• Alvogen: $18,680,162 paid in a single year
• Zydus: $14,859,220 paid in a single year

Seven of the eight companies, excluding Indivior, are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products.

They are also prohibited from manufacturing or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill and the companies are required to put in-place a monitoring and reporting system for “suspicious orders.”

Indivior has agreed to stop manufacturing and selling opioid products for the next decade.

However, it will be permitted to continue both marketing and selling medications that treat opioid use disorder.

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